


Kindergarten

by ojmygod



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Also Baek is a med student, Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Baekhyun is a flirt, Flirting, M/M, and he's definitely gonna overwork himself at some point, awkward Yeol, chanyeol might think so, good uncle Chanyeol, is 4 years considered an age gap??, like a lot, preschool teacher Baekhyun, slow burn? ish, smut will come eventually ;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23462317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ojmygod/pseuds/ojmygod
Summary: Chanyeol just wanted to be a good brother and pick his niece up from kindergarten. He didn't expect to lay eyes on the prettiest man he'd ever seen.Cue flirty Baekhyun finding Chanyeol's inability to speak to him incredibly amusing.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 55
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> baekhyun's look is 100% inspired by his privé photoshoot. you know the one where he's kneeling on the floor with messy hair? yeah that one.

The first time Chanyeol saw him, he couldn’t help but shamelessly stare. 

Being the best brother in the world, Chanyeol had offered to help his older sister out a little in her hectic life as a lawyer. He’d offered to pick her daughter up from kindergarten from time to time, whenever his schedule allowed of course. Yoora had been grateful in that utterly exhausted way that only parents managed to be. She had asked him only about a million times if it was really ok, before thanking him with a sigh, tired smile on her face.

Chanyeol didn’t mind nearly as much as Yoora seemed to think he did. Believe it or not, he actually  _ liked _ his niece, and spending a few extra minutes with her every week would be a nice change of pace. Chanyeol had always liked children, and when Yoora had announced that she was pregnant, Chanyeol had probably cried more than she did, much to her amusement. The first time he held Yuri in his arms he wouldn’t stop crying for an hour.

So it’s safe to say that Chanyeol honestly didn’t mind picking her up once in a while, when Yoora and her husband were busy. And Yuri didn’t seem to mind either, given by the five year old’s shriek of delight every time she spotted Chanyeol in the window. Yoora had been reluctant at first since Yuri had always been a bit clingy towards her. She’d been worried that Yuri would throw a fit if her mommy didn’t come pick her up every day, but being greeted by her baby brother playing with her delighted daughter as she came home after a stressful day was eventually enough to sate her worries.

They’d had this arrangement going for a few months, and it only took a few weeks for Chanyeol to become acquainted with Yuri’s preschool teachers. They were always gushing over him, calling him  _ cute _ and  _ very polite _ , even though he was a 24 year old man, and they tended to use the very same words when describing the children they worked with. Granted, almost all of the women were well over 50, with the exception of one younger woman in her early 30’s.

Chanyeol was surprised to say the least, when he spotted a young man sitting on the floor, finger painting with at least seven kids.

At first, he thought that the man might be the  _ very _ young dad to the boy sitting in his lap, but he quickly reconsidered when he laid eyes on the apron he wore. And the fact that he wasn’t wearing shoes. If he’d been a parent, he probably wouldn’t be sitting down to finger paint with a bunch of different kids in the first place, and the clothes he wore fit the description of someone in their early twenties more than that of someone in their late twenties. Nonetheless, Chanyeol couldn’t tear his eyes away from him. That is, until he looked up, obviously noticing the way Chanyeol stood staring at him like a creep.

Even though he must have been rather confused, if not offended by Chanyeol’s stare, he still smiled, wiping his stained hands on a damp towel next to him. As he lifted the boy from his lap, telling the kids around him to continue without him, Chanyeol started fidgeting awkwardly. Even though his cover was  _ totally _ blown, he didn’t want to make him too uncomfortable by staring any longer, so instead he tried to peek around the corner, keeping an eye out for Yuri.

But as the man approached him, all thoughts of finding Yuri to rescue him were lost.

“Hello, are you here to pick someone up?” he asked, smiling slightly and questionability enough, tilting his head a bit to the side. Like a goddamn puppy. Chanyeol cleared his throat subtly, throat gone completely dry.

“Uh… yeah, I’m… my niece. I’m here to pick up my niece.”

There was an awkward moment of silence before Chanyeol realized that the other man was waiting for him to give him some more information. 

“Oh! Uhm, sorry, her name is Park Yuri.” Chanyeol couldn’t help but blush as the other laughed slightly, assuring him that it’s fine.

The man was probably going for a polite smile, but the poorly concealed amusement made it look more like a smirk. Chanyeol wanted to die.

“Last I heard, Yuri was in the building room.” he paused, considering. “Yuri is the girl who usually wears her hair in pigtails, right?”

Chanyeol just nodded, slightly distracted by the other’s smooth, yet raspy voice. Without realizing it, Chanyeol’s gaze had drifted to watch the man’s lips as he spoke. He snapped his gaze back up to his eyes, finding more amusement there.

“I think you can tell, but I’m pretty new here, so I haven’t really learned everyone’s names yet, though I’m doing my best.” he said. If he noticed Chanyeol’s incredibly weird behaviour, he didn’t mention it. “I’m Byun Baekhyun, by the way. I only started working here about a week ago.” 

Thankfully, when the hand was held out for Chanyeol to shake, he didn’t hesitate. He really didn’t need to make a fool out of himself even more than he already had. At this point his behaviour was just bordering on plain rude. As he shook Baekhyun’s hand, he couldn’t help but notice just how fucking  _ pretty _ it was. Yet another strange observation on Chanyeol’s part.

Swallowing, Chanyeol croaked, “Park Chanyeol. I’m Yuri’s uncle.” he said, nodding to himself, as if to assure himself that yes, he really was Yuri’s uncle. He cringed slightly at himself as he drew his hand back. He really wasn’t this awkward usually. Why now? Just because the man was attractive? It’s not like Chanyeol didn’t work with and occasionally meet other attractive men, why was he any different?

The man, completely unaware of Chanyeol’s inner turmoil, granted him another breathtaking smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Park.” 

Chanyeol choked. 

“Mr. Park?” he stuttered. At Baekhyun’s questioning sound, he hurried to clarify. “You really don’t have to call me that, I’m probably not that much older than you.” he said. God, he could feel himself flush.

Baekhyun tilted his head as he pursed his lips. “Really? How old are you?” he asked, keeping a polite tone. Chanyeol did  _ not _ stare at the man’s lips. 

“I’m 24.” he answered, a little embarrassed. He watched as Baekhyun’s eyebrows shot up, and he didn’t know whether to be offended or not.

“Whoa, really? I mean you look young, but you have this air about you that made you seem really mature.” he said. Then he looked Chanyeol up and down, pausing. “It might be the suit.” he said, before turning around with a smile, pulling his phone up as he walked away.

_ Oh my God. Was that flirting? It was a little flirty, right? Oh my God. _

Chanyeol stared at the mans retreating back for an embarrassingly long time, trying not to think too hard about what just happened. And also the way his waist was really accentuated with that apron tied around it.  _ Wow _ .

He only looked away from where Baekhyun had turned a corner when he felt an impact on the side of his legs. He looked down to see Yuri stare up at him with the widest smile, and he felt his heart swell. He smiled back at her, ruffling her hair a little. It was tied up in pigtails, but Yuri didn’t seem to mind when a few pieces came loose, still smiling and holding on to Chanyeol’s leg.

“Hi, sweetie.” he said after he felt like they’d grinned at each other for a long enough time. “You ready to go?” he asked, taking a hold of her tiny hands and unclambering her from his leg.

She immediately latched onto his hand instead, pointing towards one of the rooms further into the building. “Almost! I have to get my drawing first.” she said, trying to drag Chanyeol in. “Ah ah ah! Yuri, I have shoes on. I can’t go in!” he exclaimed, pointing at the sign with the shoes and the big X. Yuri pouted at the sign, then pouted at his shoes.

“Take them off.” she demanded, now pouting up at him. Chanyeol was soft, especially for her, but he also knew that if he went in now, they wouldn’t leave for another hour, and he didn’t really have the energy for that.

He sighed, pouting back at his niece. “Not today, cutie. You’ll have to go get your drawing yourself, and then we can play when we come home, ok?” he said, trying to strike a deal with her. 

She whined at him, stomping her little feet. “But I want to show you the new colors I used today!” Chanyeol laughed at her, patting her back a little to shoo her forward. “You can show me next time, Yuri. If you get back here and put your shoes on  _ really, really  _ fast, I’ll buy you ice cream.” It was a cheap trick, but it always worked a charm. Yuri was racing into the kindergarten before he’d even finished his sentence, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile as he watched her run.

Then he looked up and made eye contact with Baekhyun who was holding the hand of that same boy who’d sat in his lap earlier. They were strolling slowly through the room as Baekhyun reached to put his phone back into his back pocket. He was bent over rather awkwardly as they strolled, but he didn’t seem to mind. He smiled at Chanyeol, and when Chanyeol smiled back, he pulled the boy up into his arms and walked up to him.

Chanyeol’s heart was beating so fucking hard, and Baekhyun hadn’t even said anything yet. The boy now in his hold seemed to be really shy and clingy, and either he was younger than the rest of them, or he was just really small for his age.

“Did you find your niece?” Baekhyun asked, making Chanyeol jump. “Sorry that I left so abruptly just now, I had to take a phone call.” he managed to look genuinely sorry about it, despite it not being a big deal at all.

Chanyeol just shook his head, mouth opening around some weird syllables. “No, no, don’t worry about it. I get it.” he said, laughing awkwardly. “And yeah, I did, she’s just off getting a drawing or something.” he said, heart pounding.

Baekhyun smiled at him, readjusting the kid against his hip. “That’s good. I would hate to get you out of your shoes.” he said, as if Chanyeol wouldn’t burn his fucking shoes for him. 

“Oh! Chanyeolie, welcome back dear!” he startled as one of the older teacher’s spotted him and came up to stand next to Baekhyun. “I’m so glad you came by, it’s always nice to see such a handsome man here.” she said, tapping him on the shoulder as if to congratulate him on being handsome. He huffed, embarrassed, but still smiled at the older woman. “I’m not all that handsome, Mrs Kim, but thanks.” he said, pointedly not looking at Baekhyun.

She slapped his arm lightly. “Only handsome men deny being handsome, dear.” she scolded, then she turned her gaze to Baekhyun who beamed at her. He had paint on the side of his nose. She sighed fondly and shook her head at him, reaching out to pat the little boy he was holding on the head. He turned his head and buried it in Baekhyun’s neck, tightening his little fists in Baekhyun’s hoodie. “What are we gonna do with little Jihwan, huh? He’s too fond of you, Baekhyunie.” she sighed, not tearing her soft gaze away from the little boy. Baekhyun just shrugged lightly with a smile on his face, bouncing the boy a little.

She smiled at Chanyeol as she met his gaze again. “Well, I see you’ve met Baekhyun!” she said happily, placing her hands on her hips. “He’s a true youngster, this one, just look at his hair!” she exclaimed, pointing up at the wild, blond hair on top of the man’s head. Baekhyun laughed, pushing her hand away as she moved to ruffle it. “It stands out in every direction, and dyed to boot!” she said, exasperated. Chanyeol tried to not think of Baekhyun’s messy hair as charming and cute, but he failed.

Yuri came running at record speed, without the drawing. They all watched as she put on her shoes all by herself, and grabbed her green rain jacket. It was a sunny day, but she really liked that jacket. Chanyeol went over to help her put it on as Mrs Kim shook her head fondly. “Didn’t you get your drawing, Yuri?” he asked as he adjusted the jacket so it didn’t sit awkwardly. She nodded her head, looking up at him with her big eyes. “I did, but then Lia said that maybe it’s best to leave it in my map so it doesn’t wrinkle, and then we can finish it together tomorrow!” she said, very seriously. Chanyeol raised an eyebrow, but didn’t ask who Lia was. He looked up at Baekhyun who was still staring at them.

Chanyeol tried to figure out something good to say, but Baekhyun beat him to it. 

“It was nice meeting you, Chanyeol-ssi. I’ll see you around.” he said, and with a wide smile, he waved goodbye to Yuri before he left.


	2. Chapter 2

Chanyeol couldn’t stop thinking about Byun Baekhyun after their first encounter. He thought about his stupid, ruffled hair on his way to work. He thought about the way he’d tilt his head when he smiled as he ate his lunch, and he thought about his  _ ridiculously _ shaped waist in the shower. He often had to stop himself from thinking about him too much in that specific environment.

He also thought, a little guiltily, about his lips, neck and hands. Chanyeol couldn’t remind himself often enough that he didn’t even know the guy’s  _ age _ , and that he was better off fantasizing about some nameless,  _ faceless _ individual.

It didn’t work, usually.

Chanyeol thought about Byun Baekhyun so much that he eventually called Yoora and offered to pick Yuri up in her stead again. She had laughed at him, reminded him that he’d already picked her up once that week, but agreed easily to let him do it again. She told him to take his time back home, admitting that she wanted to go shopping anyway. Her husband’s birthday was coming up.

And that’s how Chanyeol found himself with sweaty palms and an accelerated heartbeat, stepping into the kindergarten for the second time that week. He was a bit early, and he stood in the coatroom for a good minute, pep talking himself before he removed his shoes and coat.

He was rolling his sleeves up and considering whether to lose the tie as well when he saw Mrs Kim come to a stop beside him. She gasped dramatically, holding a hand to her chest. “My, my! Who do we have here?” she exclaimed. “It’s so rare to see you twice in one week, Chanyeol! Yoora couldn’t make it today?” 

Chanyeol smiled sheepishly. “Well, I uh, I actually volunteered. She needed the time to go shopping for a birthday present to Jun anyway, and I missed Yuri.” he said, finishing up with his sleeves as he walked up to her. The last part hadn’t been a lie. He  _ did  _ miss his little niece, and he always looked forward to seeing her, but he couldn’t deny that he was itching to get a glimpse of the face that had haunted him for the past few days as well.

Mrs Kim huffed at him, smiling proudly. “Oh Chanyeol, you would be a great father, you know.” she said, reaching up to pat his cheek affectionately. She looked at him for a moment, taking in the lack of outerwear. “I see you’re planning on coming in for a while. Would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked, redoing the tie of her apron. 

“That would be great, Mrs Kim.” he smiled. As she turned to walk back into the kindergarten, Chanyeol stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Wait!” he exclaimed, looking at her with wide eyes. She stared back at him, eyes just as wide. Chanyeol reached towards his collar. “Should I get rid of the tie or not?”

She looked at him strangely as he fiddled with it, raised eyebrow and all. “Who are you trying to impress, dear?” she chuckled. Her smile froze when Chanyeol started stammering. He could feel his face heat up at the implication that he was trying to  _ impress _ Baekhyun.

“ _ Oh dear. _ ” she said quietly, smile widening as she caught on. Chanyeol opened his mouth to defend himself, but nothing that made any sense whatsoever came out, much to his mortification, and Mrs Kim’s amusement. She grinned at him for a moment, shaking her head. As she turned away she told him to lose the tie, and suggested that he pop open a few buttons as well with a wink.

It took Chanyeol another three minutes  _ at least _ to calm down enough to actually remove his tie and start walking. He hesitated at the threshold, and then popped a button open before he continued. 

It didn’t take long for him to find Yuri. Or rather, it didn’t take long for Yuri to find him. She barrelled into him at lightning speed, and had he not been prepared, she might have taken him down. Five year olds are a lot stronger than you’d think. She barely greeted him before she grabbed his hand and dragged him into a small room that smelled strongly of paint, chattering the whole time about her day. He didn’t listen. Mostly because she had so much to say that he wouldn’t have been able to keep up either way, but also because he was at a constant lookout for Baekhyun.

Unfortunately, Baekhyun wasn’t in any of the rooms they’d passed, and Chanyeol was forcefully pulled down to sit next to his niece as she showed him how all of the crayons looked on paper. He indulged her, nodding along and asking her which ones she liked the most. Eventually, all thoughts of Baekhyun were pushed aside as Yuri laughed at the  _ really bad _ dinosaurs he drew for her.

He startled as a cup of coffee was placed right next to him, and then he startled again when he turned his head to see Baekhyun peering over his shoulder. He realized that Baekhyun had a hand placed on his shoulder, the touch burning holes through his shirt. Then Baekhyun met his eyes and smiled, and Chanyeol’s entire soul was burning.

“Mrs Kim told me you were here.” he said, not removing his hand from Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I don’t know how you like your coffee, so I just left it black.” Chanyeol heard him speak, but he couldn’t get his stupid mouth to move. Baekhyun continued to smile at him, probably thinking that Chanyeol was the absolute dumbest person in the entire world. “I could go get some milk or sugar if you want?” he said, finally letting his hand slide off of his shoulder. Chanyeol was free for exactly two seconds before he realized that Baekhyun was now leaning against the table. He forced himself not to look down at Baekhyun’s cocked hip, maintaining eye contact as he shook his head vigorously. 

“No! No that’s ok.” his shoulder was still burning from his touch. “I usually drink it black either way.” he said, trying to smile. Baekhyun’s own smile widened in response before he sighed dramatically. “I’m glad.” he said. “I don’t feel like running all the way to the break room again.”

Chanyeol blushed. “You didn’t have to get me coffee, Baekhyun-ssi. But, uh, thanks.” God, Chanyeol felt like a fourteen year old kid with his very first crush. Baekhyun just shook his head, crossing his arms. “It’s cool. I wanted to.” he said simply, as if Chanyeol wouldn’t overanalyze those exact words later. “Also, I like your lizard.” he pointed at the absolutely hideous drawing of a T-rex that Chanyeol had done. Not that he had any intention of telling Baekhyun what it was actually supposed to be.

Yuri piped up. “It’s a T-rex!” Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun’s face as he burst out into laughter. He couldn’t find it in himself to curse his niece for her big mouth, not when she blessed him with the sight and sound of Baekhyun’s laughter for the first time.

“I’m so sorry, Chanyeol-ssi.” Baekhyun laughed, wiping at his eyes. “It’s really good.” he barely got the sentence out without erupting into another fit of laughter. Yuri was clearly delighted that she’d made her teacher laugh, giggling along herself. She suddenly stopped laughing, getting up abruptly from her chair, causing Chanyeol to look at her with wide eyes. She ran out of the room before he had a chance to ask what was wrong, screaming about how she forgot about the necklace she’d beaded for him. His niece was fast, he’d give her that.

He then realized that he was now alone with Baekhyun, and he quickly reached for the coffee cup, taking a sip to give himself something to do. It was way to hot, and he burned his tongue, but he refused to let it show on his face.

“You look stressed, Chanyeol-ssi.” Baekhyun said, taking a seat on the table, feet on the chair next to Chanyeol. Chanyeol was pretty sure that’s a bad influence on the kids, but when Baekhyun propped his pretty face up with his pretty hand, he decided to let it be. Chanyeol placed the cup back on the table, trying to chill a little.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well. Work is a little hectic at the moment.” he said, shrugging. He didn’t want to overshare, but as he met Baekhyun’s eyes and saw nothing but genuine interest he continued. “I uh, work as an accountant, and one of my colleagues just quit, so we’re a little understaffed. My boss is really stressed about finding a replacement, but until she does, the workload will be a bit heavier. It’s been a pretty productive day, to say the least...” he finished with a sigh, actually feeling his fatigue. 

He looked up to see a frown on Baekhyun’s face. He noticed how slowly Baekhyun blinked and furrowed his brows worriedly. “You look a little tired yourself.” he said, trying to not sound as worried as he was over a man he didn’t know. Baekhyun huffed, moving his head a little so his palm wasn’t covering his mouth. “I’m fine. Just been on my feet a little too long today.” he said. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun took a deep breath and straightened his back, stretching a little before letting it out with whoosh. “I had to hold an hour long presentation in class before I came in for my shift here.” Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun wiggled his toes as he talked. He felt the absurd need to give him a foot massage. “But well, I get off in…” he craned his neck to look at the watch hanging by the door. “An hour. So it’s fine” he said with a smile, going back to the position he’d been in to begin with.

Chanyeol froze very still at the word  _ class _ . He was suddenly very afraid that Baekhyun might be younger than he’d thought. He swallowed, wondering how best to ask without seeming like a creep.

He took another sip of his coffee, trying to look casual. “So you’re, what… in high school?” he asked tentatively, glancing up at Baekhyun. He was surprised and also horrified as a smirk spread on the young man’s face. “Why do you ask?” he said with that damn smirk. Before Chanyeol could clumsily try to come up with an answer, Baekhyun chuckled lightly. “Relax, I’m just joking. I’m not a high school student.” he said, friendlier smile on his face. “Do I really look that young?” he asked. Chanyeol tried not to let out a big sigh of relief, just as he tried not to look at Baekhyun’s little pout. 

“I don’t know, kinda? I mean probably not, but you never know, right? Like, now that I think about it you’re probably  _ not _ in high school, but you said class, and my first thought was high school, so…” he cut himself off before he could ramble any further. He very determidly kept a straight face, despite the blush rising on his cheeks.

“Hmm, sorry to disappoint, Chanyeol-ssi.” he said, tilting his head. “But I’m a college student. In other words, I’m 20.” he finished. Chanyeol just nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. He didn’t know what to think. On one hand, Baekhyun was thankfully  _ not _ a fucking high school student, which meant that he was legal, which calmed him down a little. But  _ on the other hand, _ Baekhyun was four years younger than him. Still going to classes. Chanyeol had graduated two years ago, and Baekhyun might not graduate for another two. He felt a little old.

They sat in silence for a little until Mrs Kim came in. As Chanyeol took in her amused smile he realized how closely they were sitting at such a large table. He frowned at her, daring her to say anything. Baekhyun however let out a quiet  _ oops _ before he quickly jumped down from the table. He looked a little sheepish as he smiled at the older woman who had her hands on her hips.

“Baekhyun. How many times do I have to tell you what tables are for?” She asked, exasperated look on her face. Baekhyun pouted as he avoided her gaze for a moment, and then he attacked with the puppy eyes. Chanyeol could literally  _ see _ the disapprovement bleed out of Mrs Kim’s face, leaving room for fondness. She sighed, shaking her head and trying to push down a smile. When she looked up again she wore a wicked expression, and Chanyeol was scared as he made eye contact with her for a second. “If you don’t sit in a chair, then you sit on the floor.” Baekhyun just nodded, obviously used to this scolding. “Hell, I would rather you sit on Chanyeol’s lap than on the table.” 

Chanyeol froze, too shocked to even blush at the comment. But Baekhyun just laughed, glancing back at him. “I’ll keep that in mind.” he said, turning back to face Mrs Kim who was pretending like she didn’t just say something  _ super inappropriate. _

“Anyway, Baekhyun.” she said in a normal tone of voice. “I know you’re supposed to work another hour, but there’s not much to do tonight since the dishes are already washed. It’s really just the toilets left, and Mrs Lee and I can take care of that. You can go now.” 

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun tilted his head. “I… What about the kids? It’s just 6.” 

Mrs Kim just shook her head. “Baekhyun-ah. You must be tired. Go home and get some sleep, we can handle one more hour without you, my dear.”

Baekhyun fidgeted in place a little before walking up to her. “Mrs Kim... “ he started, speaking in a lowered voice. “I’m fine, seriously. You don’t have to send me home just because I’m a little tired…”

Chanyeol felt  _ really _ out of place. He felt like he was eavesdropping, even though he didn’t really have a choice. He finished his coffee, not looking in their direction, trying to give them some privacy at least. He couldn’t help but listen, though.

He heard Mrs Kim let out a huff. “Baekhyun. Listen to me.” she said, authority in her voice. “You will go home, you will eat something, and you will go to sleep. I had half a mind not to wake you from naptime earlier today, you looked so exhausted. But I did, because I know you’d want me to. Now  _ I  _ want  _ you _ , to clock out.” Chanyeol heard Baekhyun inhale as if to say something, but he got cut off. “No buts.” she said, making Baekhyun shut his mouth. Chanyeol glanced over and saw Mrs Kim soften and reach out to pat Baekhyun’s cheek. “One of these days you’ll keel over if you keep going at this pace.” she sighed, patting him on his back and guiding him out of the room. Baekhyun let himself be led, but not before turning around to meet Chanyeol’s gaze. 

“I… See you around, Chanyeol-ssi.” he said with a small smile before walking away. 

Mrs Kim sighed as he left, putting her hands on her hips. She looked up at Chanyeol, smiling. “So…” she drawled, teasing. “Was he impressed?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Chanyeol rolled his eyes, laughing at the ridiculous action. “How would I know?” he said, shrugging. “I doubt it.”

Mrs Kim frowned, moving closer to him. “ _ ‘you doubt it’ _ ?” she repeated. “Chanyeol, he was ready to climb you like a tree.”

Chanyeol sputtered, face heating up instantly. “ _ Mrs Kim!” _ he exclaimed, embarrassed. She scoffed at him. “What? It’s so obvious, my dear! I suggest you ask him out the next time you see him.” she said with such immense confidence. Chanyeol just stared at her, incomprehensible. She sighed at him, again. “Chanyeol, dear. Baekhyun is a very naturally charming person. I’ve been around enough to have met a few charming men in my days, and Baekhyun is  _ full _ of natural charm and flirt, but even I can tell that the way he’s acting with you is  _ not _ the same way he acts with others.” she deadpanned, looking at him deeply.

Chanyeol looked away. “Mrs Kim, I’m a little old for him.” he mumbled, wishing that he had another sip of coffee to occupy himself with. He sighed, standing up from his chair and collecting the drawings he and Yuri had made. 

“Chanyeol.” she said simply, getting his attention. “You shouldn’t be looking for excuses. He’s an adult, and so are you. Now, I can tell that there’s something there, but it’s up to you to do something with it.” she finished, soft gaze locked onto his. 

He swallowed, not ready to think about all that. He looked down. “Yeah, well…” he sighed. “We’ll see. I gotta go find Yuri now. She ran away screaming about some necklace or something.” 

She smiled at him, huffing a little. Chanyeol smiled back, a little wobbly, but still. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> daily updates will probably not be a thing, but here. take chapter two before i refuse to share it due to mortification  
> thanks for reading <3 wishing u all a good day <33333


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah shit, here we go again

The next time Chanyeol saw Baekhyun it was unintentional, and very much a bad time to meet someone as distracting as Baekhyun.

Chanyeol’s dear friend Dahyun had been admitted to the hospital due to being herself. Apparently, Dahyun had gone diving from a small cliff with some friends, and promptly hurt herself. Not by jumping, but by stepping harshly on a sharp rock. On the way back up the cliff.

Needless to say, Chanyeol was worried. And exasperated. But mostly worried.

He’d picked her up and driven her to the ER after giving her a good scolding. She had been bleeding quite a lot though, and although she kept bantering with him like normal, he could tell that she’d been in pain. 

Dahyun had been whisked away by a nurse very quickly, and Chanyeol was left to explore the endlessly exciting waiting room. He’d been about to make a quick run to the coffee shop across the street to calm his nerves a little when he bumped into Baekhyun. Literally.

He only realized this as he was in the middle of apologizing profusely, and it took him a moment to register that it was him. His hair was neatly styled, as opposed to the usual mess on top of his head, and he wore a button up, slacks, and a white coat with a name tag. He went silent as he stared, taking in the different look. “Baekhyun?” 

Baekhyun laughed as Chanyeol abruptly straightened up from the apologetic bow he’d been in the middle of. “Hi, Chanyeol-ssi.” he greeted, smiling as usual. Head tilted as usual.

“How… Why are you here?” despite Chanyeol desperately wishing for better social skills around Baekhyun, it just didn’t happen. Baekhyun blinked at him. “I didn’t tell you that I’m a med student?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.

Chanyeol tried to recall, but beyond the knowledge that Baekhyun was legal, he really hadn’t caught onto anything regarding his education. Baekhyun just shook his head, dismissing it. “Well, either way,” he started, looking at Chanyeol with a little worry in his eyes. “Why are you here? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Chanyeol would be lying if he said he didn’t grow a little flustered at the way Baekhyun’s eyes scanned him up and down for injuries. “No, no. I’m totally fine, I’m here because of a dumb friend.” he assured, provoking a laugh out of Baekhyun. He couldn’t help but stare. Baekhyun looked so different. Professional.  _ Handsome _ . Chanyeol opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by someone calling Baekhyun’s name.

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun let out a short sigh, looking down the hallway where an older looking fellow was walking towards them briskly. Chanyeol only realized he’d been admiring Baekhyun’s side profile once he turned back to look Chanyeol in the eyes. “Well, this got cut short I suppose.” he said, backing away from Chanyeol with a smile on his face. How he didn’t seem stressed was beyond him. “I gotta get back to the rest of the group, but come by the kindergarten someday, please. I miss you.” he said, turning around and walking up to meet what Chanyeol could only assume is his professor, or some kind of authority figure at least. He had a tense look on his face, but at Baekhyun’s sheepish grin he rolled his eyes and gestured for him to follow. Baekhyun did, but not before throwing a thumbs up and a wave his way, startling a laugh out of Chanyeol.

And just like that he had a whole new Baekhyun look to fantasize about.

__________

After his run in with Baekhyun, he did actually try and figure out a good time to go pick Yuri up again, but life was so  _ busy _ all of a sudden, and he didn’t even know Baekhyun’s work schedule. Last time he went, he must have really lucked out. If the guy was a medical student, he probably didn’t work nearly as much as Chanyeol had thought he did.

He suddenly understood why Mrs Kim had been so adamant about getting Baekhyun home to rest, he had probably been running on fumes by the time she’d sent him home. Even someone like Baekhyun who seemed to have an endless supply of energy must get tired. How he managed to not only study medicine, but also work with children was completely beyond him. Chanyeol loved children, but after spending just one whole day with Yuri he’d pass out the minute he got home.

Nevertheless, he made an effort to call his sister, offering to pick Yuri up again someday that week. He might be a little eager to see Baekhyun again,  _ sue him _ . Unfortunately, Yoora informed him that Yuri had caught a cold, and that she wouldn’t be there for him to pick up. Chanyeol frowned. Yuri rarely got sick. Yoora laughed at her little brother’s very obvious worry, passing the phone over to her daughter. Chanyeol spent the better part of his lunch break talking to Yuri. She told him all about her entire day from start to finish, and he told her to keep her spirits up and get well soon before they hung up.

Chanyeol felt fairly disheartened. He couldn’t just drop by the kindergarten without Yuri there, right? He felt weird about it, but then again, Baekhyun didn’t  _ specifically _ say that he should ‘come pick Yuri up soon’, but rather to ‘ come visit soon’. He was grasping at straws at this point, but Baekhyun’s sweet little  _ ‘I miss you.’ _ kept playing in his head. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why someone like Baekhyun would miss their miserably awkward interactions, but he really wanted to see him.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he was sitting in his car, driving down the familiar street that lead to the kindergarten. He was definitely nervous as he parked the car, as he opened the gate, and as he stepped inside the building, and he had no fucking  _ idea _ what to say or talk about if Baekhyun really was there, but as he toed off his shoes and stripped his jacket off, he didn’t let himself overthink it. 

There was an overwhelming amount of children running around as he entered. In hindsight, Chanyeol never picked Yuri up until after 5pm, and a quick glance at his phone confirmed that it was just barely past 3. Things must calm down significantly during the next few hours, as most parents got off work.

He tentatively made his way around, feeling very much out of place where he towered over the kids. He went room to room in search of Baekhyun, but to his disappointment, he was only met with a few of the older ladies that he didn’t know very well. They all greeted him, apparently not thinking it weird that he was even there when Yuri wasn’t. He considered asking Mrs. Choi about Baekhyun’s whereabouts, but he didn’t know her that well, and ultimately chickened out, feeling like a creep. 

Baekhyun definitely wasn’t in any of the playrooms. He wasn’t anywhere around the children at all, and Chanyeol almost gave up, coming to the conclusion that Baekhyun must not be working that day. That is until he caught sight of a frazzled looking Mrs. Kim. At the very least she might be able to tell him Baekhyun’s schedule, and then his trip there wouldn’t have been for nothing.

Mrs. Kim didn’t notice him until he tapped her shoulder, and she smiled a stressed albeit genuine smile as she turned to face him. “Chanyeol! What a nice surprise.” she said, giving him a quick hug. 

Chanyeol returned the hug before taking a step back. He furrowed his eyebrows as he took in the frizzy state of Mrs. Kim’s ever glossy and but together hair. “Mrs. Kim, are you alright? You seem really stressed.” She waved him off, chuckling. “Dear boy, if you think this is stressful, then you’ve never been a parent.” she said with a smile. “There’s always much to do around this time, but that’s to be expected when you work with children.”

Chanyeol wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t press it as she seemed very certain. “If you say so… Just take care of yourself, ok? Wouldn’t want you to collapse.” he said, sighing softly. She patted his upper arm appreciatively, cooing at him. “You’re such a good man, Chanyeol, thank you for your concern. Now, what can I do for you? Yuri is home sick, isn’t she?” 

Chanyeol nodded, suddenly feeling a little foolish again. “Yeah, I just came to see… if Baekhyun was here.” he mumbled. “I didn’t know what days he works, and I don’t… have his number or anything so I couldn’t ask.” he said, feeling  _ really _ awkward. Especially when Mrs. Kim beamed like that at him.

“Oh, he’s here alright.” she said, making Chanyeol look up a little too eagerly maybe. “He’s not working today, though. He’s been spending a lot of time in the break room, doing assignments and whatnot lately. I should have figured it had something to do with you.” she said, smiling that sneaky smile. 

As one of the kids fell down and started to cry, Mrs. Kim started walking over to help immediately with a fond sigh. “Last I checked he was in the middle of some school work, and unless he snuck out without even a goodbye, I’d say he still is.” she said as she turned her full attention to the little girl who fell over, but not without giving him a cheeky wink for good luck.

He sighed as he started walking towards the break room, feeling both relieved and nervous at the same time. Well, at the very least, he could use another coffee cup as a crutch again. 

He considered knocking for a while, but ultimately decided against it. No need to announce himself  _ that  _ clearly. He tried to prepare himself for Baekhyun’s ever charming looks as he opened the door, but what he found wasn’t exactly what he expected. Baekhyun was fast asleep, cheek pressing down on his keyboard, with a pencil loosely gripped in his hand. A quick peek at the screen confirmed that Baekhyun had absolutely key smashed approximately 56 pages worth of the letter H. Chanyeol contained a laugh, not wanting to wake him up. He thought about taking a picture, but given how utterly obsessed Chanyeol’s brain was with Baekhyun, he deemed it not so wise to have easy access to a picture of him.

Instead, he moved very quietly to make himself a cup of coffee. It was already brewed, and still quite warm. All he had to do was quietly grab a cup, quietly pour it, and quietly take a seat next to Baekhyun who was now up to 67 pages worth of keysmash.

Chanyeol hesitated. He felt a little weird as he sat next to a sleeping Baekhyun. He really should wake him up, but the selfish part of his brain told him to wait a little. That same part of his brain told him to take this moment to just enjoy Baekhyun’s features freely, just for a little. This was the version of Baekhyun that he was used to seeing. At least as far as appearances go. Messy, blond hair, black sweatpants, and a gigantic white hoodie. This version of Baekhyun was so very far removed from the put together, professional look he’d sported at the hospital that Chanyeol had trouble putting them together. 

He looked so tired, Chanyeol noted with a frown as he followed the rise and fall of Baekhyun’s back with his eyes. Tense, despite being asleep. His face was relaxed, but his body was pulled tight. He couldn’t be comfortable like that. His hair looked soft, despite probably being bleached to death, and Chanyeol had to physically stop himself from reaching over to touch. He watched as Baekhyun twitched a little in his sleep and sighed. He sounded frustrated.  _ He was so fucking cute _ .

Chanyeol’s gaze drifted to his face, scanning his features before pausing on his lips. They looked soft. His eyes lingered on the little mole he hadn’t noticed before, right next to his upper lip. He noticed another mole right on his cheek, and he wanted to kiss it.  _ Fuck. _

His gaze drifted further. His neck was so slender and pretty.  _ Perfect for hickies _ . 

Chanyeol physically startled at his own thoughts. He felt guilt stir in his stomach, and he looked away from Baekhyun. He came there to _ talk _ to him, not ogle him like some random hot guy he’d met at a club. Furthering his guilt, he thought about the implication that Baekhyun had been coming to his workplace on his off days just to see  _ him. _

He sighed, closing his eyes. He had no right to think about Baekhyun in the way he just did, and he certainly had no right to sit there and stare at him while he was asleep.

“Baekhyun-ssi.” he said softly, trying to gauge how deeply he was sleeping. He didn’t even stir. “Baekhyun.” he tried again, increasing the volume a little. Baekhyun let out a short sigh, though he didn’t wake up. Chanyeol stayed silent for a little, thinking about how obviously tired he must be.

“Baekhyun, wake up. You can’t sleep like that.” this time he stirred a little, and he must have either felt or heard the keyboard he’d been sleeping on, because he shot up suddenly, staring at his screen. 

“What the fuck.” he whispered, staring wide eyed at his screen. Then suddenly he seemed to register that Chanyeol was there, because he banged his knee against the table. Hard. “Fuck! Shit!” he paused, holding his knee with a pained expression, then he looked up and met Chanyeol’s eyes again. “Ow…” he breathed out softly.

Chanyeol really tried not to laugh, but this was the first time that he’d seen Baekhyun so out of his element, and it caught him off guard. He couldn’t stop laughing for a good minute, clutching at his stomach. Once he’d managed to collect himself, he was met with the biggest pout he’d ever seen, and he regularly spent time with his five year old niece.

He let out another short laugh, finding Baekhyun so utterly endearing. Baekhyun pouted harder, gaze flickering between Chanyeol and the computer. Eventually he just groaned, rubbing his face. “How long was I asleep for?” he asked, hiding his face in his hands. He had keyboard shaped marks on his cheek.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile at that. Baekhyun was actually blushing.“I don’t know. I haven’t been here for more than maybe five minutes.” he said, watching as Baekhyun aggressively pressed down on the erase button. He saw Baekhyun pause and turn to him with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve been watching me sleep for five minutes?”

And suddenly Chanyeol’s heart was working overtime. “No.” he said. Baekhyun looked at him, raising his other brow. “No?” he repeated, glancing all over Chanyeol’s no doubt red face. Chanyeol swore, he could physically  _ see _ the confidence flooding back into Baekhyun as he leaned forward to prop his head up in his hand. “You’re a bad liar, Chanyeol-ssi.” he said, blinking at him.

Chanyeol was sweating. And to his dismay, he couldn’t stop his gaze from flickering all over Baekhyun’s features. He might have gotten away with it, had it just been a quick flicker to say, his nose and back, but when Chanyeol’s stare lingered at Baekhyun’s neck, he could tell that Baekhyun caught it. The fucker smirked at him and  _ tilted his fucking head. Again. _

“Why do you keep doing that?” he said, not thinking and not expecting an answer. Baekhyun made a questioning noise, tilting his head even more. Chanyeol swallowed, throat dry. “Tilting your head. You keep doing it.” he watched as Baekhyun blinked slowly at him before smiling. “Because I can tell that you like it.”

He felt just about ready to  _ die _ . Combust. Let the earth swallow him whole. Baekhyun had somehow  _ noticed  _ that Chanyeol liked it when he tilted his head? Chanyeol hadn’t even realized that he actually liked it himself, and Baekhyun could just  _ tell? _ Was he that obvious?

Baekhyun must have seen the panic rising in his face, because he reached out to pat the hand that was clutching the cup of coffee with an amused chuckle. “ _ Relax, _ Chanyeol-ssi. I’m messing with you.” he said, grinning. “It’s just a habit I’ve had since forever, I just found it amusing that you noticed it.”

He drew his hand back, much to Chanyeol’s relief and dismay. Chanyeol looked away, finally taking his first sip of the coffee that was now luke-warm. “Yeah, you do that a lot too.” he muttered, not really intending to be heard. Nonetheless, Baekhyun hummed, going back to erase the key smash in his document. “What, mess with you?” he asked, smirking. He glanced at Chanyeol’s face, laughing at the glare he received. “I can’t help it, Chanyeol. You’re reactions are really cute.” he said, looking at the computer screen.

Would there ever come a day when Chanyeol  _ didn’t _ automatically turn into a 14 year old around Baekhyun? He sighed, not deeming that comment worthy of an answer. They sat in silence for a moment as Baekhyun frowned at his computer, as if it wasn’t his own fault that he’d fallen asleep on it. 

Baekhyun chewed at his lip, and his eyebrows were furrowed. He looked disproportionately worried about it. Chanyeol worried about Baekhyun’s psyche.

“What were you working on?” he asked after the pause, a little desperate to ease the tension in Baekhyun’s expression. “Before you fell asleep, that is.” Baekhyun sighed, not tearing his eyes away from his screen, still rapidly tapping away at the keyboard. “A report.” he said distractedly. “Was supposed to be in last night, but I asked the professor for an extension since I was working late.” he brought his finger up to his mouth as he paused in the typing, actually biting it. It’s like he wanted Chanyeol to die.

“Don’t put your fingers in your mouth, Baekhyun.” he said without thinking. He said it partially because the sight of absolutely  _ anything _ in Baekhyun’s mouth was distracting and a bad road to go down, and partially because he was used to saying the very same thing to Yuri. He didn’t realize that maybe that’s not something you say to a grown man before Baekhyun looked at him with shock that quickly turned into amusement.

Chanyeol panicked. “I mean, it’s just. Bad.” he stuttered. “Lots of bacteria and, stuff. Dirt.” his whole body was physically rebelling due to the awkwardness. Baekhyun just looked at him with a fair amount of amusement in his eyes. He hummed. “Oh really? Please tell me more about bacteria and, stuff.” he said, using the same tone that Chanyeol had used.

Chanyeol rubbed at his face with a heavy sigh as he heard Baekhyun chuckle. “That’s another habit for you, if you’re collecting.” he said, winking.  _ I wasn’t _ . Chanyeol thought, at least not willingly. Not that he thought that he could ever forget about a single one of Baekhyun’s little quirks.

“In all seriousness, I know it’s bad. I am a med student you know.” he said, stretching out his back. Chanyeol heard something pop. “ _ And _ I work with children. It’s not like I do it willingly.” he said, shrugging.

Chanyeol tried to come up with alternatives for him, but he quickly realized that he really shouldn’t be thinking about what Baekhyun could possibly put in his mouth.

“How’s Yuri, by the way?” Baekhyun asked as he got up from his seat. He walked over to brew some new coffee, Chanyeol soon realized. “Heard she was sick.” he said, looking a little worried. Chanyeol smiled softly as he thought back to the conversation he’d had with her earlier that day.

“Well, she watched Frozen three times today, and she forced her poor dad to bake with her.” he said, feeling fond. “They made chocolate chip cookies, but with all kinds of candy instead of chocolate.” he said meeting Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun smiled at him from where he leaned with his back against the counter. 

“I’m glad she’s having fun even though she’s sick. I was worried that she’d be knocked out cold.” he said eventually. “If you talk to her, tell her to eat and rest well, and that we miss her back here.” Chanyeol’s heart warmed at the genuinity in Baekhyun’s voice, and he was struck by how much Baekhyun seemed to really care about kids.

“Do you have any siblings, Baekhyun?” he asked, curious. Baekhyun just shook his head, sighing. “I wish.” He said as he huffed out another short breath. “No, I’m an only child. I used to babysit my younger cousins growing up, but other than that I really don’t have much experience with kids.” he explained, looking out the window. “Until now, that is.” he shrugged, turning back towards Chanyeol and directing the same question at him.

Chanyeol blinked. “Well, Yoora is my older sister, but that’s all.” he paused, thinking. “I’ve always loved children though. I’d love to be a dad one day, but for now I’ll have to live out that fantasy through Yoora.” he said, chuckling. Baekhyun hummed at him, smiling slightly.

“My parents weren’t really prepared when they had me.” he said with another shrug. “It’s better to wait until you’re ready, rather than just getting a kid with the first person that comes along.”

Chanyeol thought about that as Baekhyun turned around to pour himself a cup, reaching for Chanyeol’s half empty, lukewarm coffee and rinsing it out before refilling his too. 

“What about you?” Chanyeol asked as Baekhyun took a seat, making Baekhyun blink confusedly. “Me?” he asked. “What about me?” 

“Do you want children?” 

Baekhyun blinked a few times, waiting to see if Chanyeol was going to say anything else. “I… Chanyeol, I’m 20.” he said, confusion on his face. 

Chanyeol laughed. “I didn’t mean right now! Just, in general.” he said. “Would you want to be a parent?” 

Baekhyun stared at him for a moment, silent. Then he looked at his computer screen, but Chanyeol could tell that he wasn’t looking at anything in particular. Eventually he looked up at Chanyeol again. “I guess…” he said, reluctantly. “I mean, not for a while. I’m nowhere near ready for that yet. Besides, I barely have time to date, where would I be able to fit a partner in?”

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun. “You really are super busy, huh?” he said, and Baekhyun just smiled. “You don’t know half of it.” he said, shaking his head. 

Chanyeol frowned. “You know, maybe you shouldn’t be working while you study. Even I can tell that you’re exhausted, and getting proper sleep is  _ really _ important. You shouldn’t have to crash on top of your school work, in your break room at work.” he said, stressing the importance. He was surprised to see Baekhyun’s smile widening into a grin.

“It’s sweet when you educate me on proper health.” he said, tilting his damned head as he leaned back in his chair to look at Chanyeol. “Trust me, Chanyeol. I know what I’m doing. I only work on my off days and breaks, and while I appreciate your concern  _ a lot _ , I’m a big boy. I’m managing.” he said with a wink. 

Chanyeol flushed. “I didn’t mean to imply that you don’t know what you’re doing, I just worry.” he said, still frowning lightly. “Plus, you have to admit. Med students aren’t exactly known to take care of themselves properly, despite knowing exactly how.” 

Baekhyun snorted. “Amen to that.”

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile at him. “Listen, I trust that you know your own limits,” he started, still maintaining eye contact. “But the next time I find you sleeping on your laptop, I’m moving you to a proper bed.”

He ignored Baekhyun’s flirty smile, knowing that he just wanted to tease him. “Oh yeah?” Baekhyun drawled. “My dorm is pretty far, and there are no beds that’ll fit a grown man here. How will you pull that off?” he asked, still smirking.

Chanyeol stood up, draining his coffee before locking eyes with Baekhyun. “Don’t worry. My place isn’t far, and my bed is superior to whatever you’re sleeping on, based on how much you stretch your back out.” 

He felt an immense rush of satisfaction as Baekhyun’s cheeks tinted pink, absolutely glowing with his newfound confidence. He watched as Baekhyun swallowed, still maintaining eye contact.

“So, what? You're planning on somehow dragging me over to your place? Then what? Tie me to it so I won’t leave?” Chanyeol could tell that Baekhyun wanted to regain the upper hand with the provocative comments. Unfortunately for him, Chanyeol wasn’t going to let him this time.

Chanyeol shrugged. “If that’s what it takes.” he confirmed, collecting his things and enjoying the sight of a speechless, flustered Baekhyun. “And if you’re too noisy, I might even gag you.”

With that, Chanyeol turned to leave the room with a wave, drinking in the sight of a flushed, embarrassed,  _ affected _ Baekhyun. 

He would like to say that he rode that wave of confidence all the way home, but he’d flushed just as hard as Baekhyun had as soon as he walked out of the room, and once he was home again, he couldn’t get the image of a red faced Baekhyun out of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are getting a lil steamy, no?? thanks for reading<333


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i was supposed to post this yesterday!! life got in the way lmao, but here you go! enjoy <33

If Baekhyun had been on his mind a lot  _ before _ their recent encounter, now Chanyeol  _ really  _ couldn’t stop thinking about him. 

Even someone as romantically dense as Chanyeol could tell that Baekhyun was flirting with him, probably had been ever since they first met. And it’s not like Chanyeol wasn’t interested, he just didn’t know how to act around the younger. Every single time Baekhyun was in his near vicinity, Chanyeol’s whole being seized up. His brain wouldn’t cooperate, and his heart definitely wasn’t behaving, beating faster than what was probably considered safe.

Every time he closed his eyes, Baekhyun’s face appeared. Every, single, time. Usually it would be Baekhyun’s smile, or maybe the relaxed expression he’d worn when sleeping. But ever since their encounter in that fucking break room, it had been Baekhyun’s flushed face above all else. And Chanyeol’s mind had maybe gone into overdrive since then. He had never been a very creative person, but the way his brain could suddenly produce very different scenarios whilst still keeping the flushed face of Baekhyun intact spoke differently.

Chanyeol was losing sleep. And he really wanted to ask Baekhyun out. He just needed to figure out how.

_______

Baekhyun wasn’t an idiot. He’d known about Chanyeol’s little crush on him ever since their first conversation, all those weeks ago. At first he’d just found it amusing, he always enjoyed attention, sue him. But he couldn’t deny the fact that Chanyeol was incredibly attractive, if a little awkward, and after getting to know him slightly, the awkwardness just added to his charm.

The first time they’d met, Baekhyun had thought that Chanyeol was a dad. And while Baekhyun wasn’t known to have a daddy kink, he  _ was _ a big flirt, regardless of age. 

Nevertheless, Chanyeol wasn’t a dad, and only four years older than him to boot. Even though Baekhyun didn’t  _ know _ if the guy was single or not, he couldn’t help but flirt, just a little. He found Chanyeol’s reactions so incredibly endearing, and he started to look forward to seeing the man.

But after their last encounter, Baekhyun couldn’t help but be a little more excited than normally to see the other. He hadn’t been prepared for Chanyeol to flirt back, and so suggestively too. Maybe Baekhyun was a little pent up from work and school, not having had the time to meet anyone at all, but he really couldn’t stop thinking about Chanyeol’s teasing promise to fucking  _ gag _ him.

Bottom line was that Baekhyun got butterflies whenever he thought about Chanyeol, and maybe it was just him being horny, or maybe it was something more.

_________

Chanyeol was so, so stressed. He’d been in the middle of work, knowing that he would have to stay late at the office, when out of nowhere, he’d gotten a call from Yoora’s husband, begging him to pick Yuri up in Yoora’s stead. 

Apparently Yoora was caught up at work with her boss, and Jun was on his way back home from his work related trip, but he wouldn’t be in town for  _ hours _ . 

Chanyeol didn’t even hesitate, assuring Jun that he’d see to it that he’d pick Yuri up. Chanyeol had never sped through work so fast in his life, and he was  _ known _ to be a very efficient man. As he eventually rushed out of the office at 6:30pm, he was almost dizzy with the rush off finishing up work and speeding towards the kindergarten. They wouldn’t close until the last kid was picked up, but Chanyeol had never arrived after 5, and he didn’t want to be the guy that kept some poor teacher waiting for him.

His mind didn’t slow down until he stepped into the familiar kindergarten, breathing heavily. He heaved a big sigh as he hurried in, instantly finding Yuri. She was laying a puzzle on the floor with another kid. The room was quiet, apart from the two children’s chatter, and Chanyeol felt unreasonably relieved that he wasn’t the only late parent.

He startled as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and yet somehow he wasn’t even surprised to see Baekhyun’s pretty smile as he turned his head. Baekhyun didn’t say anything, letting his hand glide down Chanyeol’s arm as he walked up to the girls, getting their attention. 

“It seems like someone’s here to pick you up, Yuri.” he said, glancing back at Chanyeol with a smirk. Yuri let out a delighted shriek, running straight up to him, puzzle forgotten in an instant.

Chanyeol embraced his niece as she latched onto him, struggling with what to say to Baekhyun. He wanted to apologize for being late, but his mind was endlessly repeating their last interaction, making him dizzy. His eyes drifted to Baekhyun’s mouth, recalling the comment he’d made about gagging him. He flushed as Baekhyun caught his eyes. 

“You’re late, Chanyeol.” he said, smiling at him.

Chanyeol could just barely swallow past the lump in his throat. Baekhyun’s hair was fluffy as ever, and the large t-shirt he wore exposed way too much collarbone.

“Yeah, sorry.” he managed, tearing his eyes away from Baekhyun’s exposed skin. “Work was crazy, and I wasn’t even supposed to pick her up today.” he said, looking down at Yuri who was grinning from ear to ear. He smiled down at her, crouching to get on her level.

“Hi sweetie. Mommy got held up at work, and daddy’s rushing to get home, but he’s still an hour or two away.” he explained, trying to gauge whether Yuri was upset or not. “I’m gonna go call mommy real quick and see when she’s done at work, and then maybe we’ll go pick her up?”

Yuri just nodded, not seeming too upset. “Can I finish the puzzle?” she asked, looking eagerly back to her friend. Chanyeol huffed out an amused sigh, patting her on her back. “Sure, honey. I’ll come and get you when we’re leaving.” She nodded again, running back to keep playing.

Chanyeol met Baekhyun’s eyes again, feeling a little guilty as he took in the way he tried to stifle a yawn. He winced, walking up to him. “I  _ am _ sorry for being late, Baekhyun. I tried to get here as soon as possible, but I had to finish up at the office.” he said, guilt heavy in his stomach. 

Baekhyun just waved him off, properly yawning before shaking his head. “It’s not a problem. This is far from the longest I’ve waited for someone to pick their kid up.” he said, looking up at him. “Besides, I’m just happy to see you again.” he said, sly grin on his face.

Chanyeol swallowed, trying not to rise to the bait. “Thanks.” he croaked out, internally screaming. “I’m gonna go call Yoora and figure out where to go once we leave.” he said, whipping his phone out and backing away. Baekhyun just nodded, turning towards the kids.

As Chanyeol waited for his sister to pick up, he tried not to look too intensely at Baekhyun’s back. He did listen to his voice as he talked to Yuri and the other girl, relishing in the raspy tone of his voice, but he turned a corner as soon as Yoora picked up, not wanting to get distracted by the pretty teacher.

“ _ Chanyeol! Did you pick Yuri up? I hope you weren’t too busy, I got caught up in a meeting that I couldn’t leave, and Jun isn’t in town yet, so I freaked out a little.” _

Chanyeol smiled, he loved talking to his sister. Her voice always calmed him down, despite Yoora herself being frantic.

“It’s fine, noona.” he said, choosing not to mention his busy day. “I’m there to pick her up right now. She’s laying puzzles with another girl.” he said, trying to ease her mind. He heard her relieved sigh through the phone.

_ “You’re literally the best Chanyeol. She’s not upset because it’s so late, is she?” _ she asked, apparently still a little worried.

Chanyeol chuckled. “No, no she’s fine. She ran up to me with a big grin on her face, and she went back to keep playing until I come back to get her.” he said, still smiling.

Yoora hummed through the phone.  _ “That’s a given, she loves it when you come pick her up, Channie.” _ she said, making Chanyeol’s heart warm.  _ “But she really wasn’t upset at all? Mrs. Choi tells me that she usually cries whenever we’re a little late.” _

Chanyeol furrowed his brows at that. Yuri had seemed totally fine. He peeked around the corner, watching her excitedly grab at the different pieces. “No, she’s fine. Didn’t even pout when I told her why I’m here instead of you.” he said, thinking. “Maybe she just doesn’t like Mrs. Choi.” he joked, provoking a startled laugh out of Yoora.

_ “Chanyeol! You can’t say things like that.”  _ she laughed through the phone.  _ “Mrs. Choi is great! She’s always there when I pick her up late, and she always tells me it’s fine, even though Yuri’s been throwing a fit.” _ she says, and Chanyeol can hear her voice go soft. 

He laughed, refraining from teasing his sister. “Yeah well, Mrs. Choi’s not here now, and Yuri’s fine.”

Yoora paused, silent for a beat.  _ “Mrs. Choi isn’t there? Who’s closing tonight?” _ she asked, surprised. Apparently Mrs. Choi was usually the last teacher there.

Chanyeol felt his heart speed up as he glanced over at Baekhyun who was greeting another parent with a smile. “Uh… Baekhyun.” he just said quietly, not wanting the man to hear him say his name.

He startled as Yoora squealed, tearing his eyes away from Baekhyun.  _ “Oh! You’ve met Baekhyunie!”  _ she exclaimed, delighted.  _ “Isn’t he cute? Yuri loves him, she’s always talking about how funny he is. I’m surprised he’s closing tonight though, he’s a little new for that, don’t you think?” _ she asked, very minimal amount of concern in her voice.

“I’ve met him, yeah.” he said, thinking back to Baekhyun’s endless flirting. He chose not to answer his sister’s rambling. “He’s… nice.” 

_ “Isn’t he? Well, if Yuri’s been spending her afternoon with Baekhyun, then I’m not surprised that she isn’t upset.”  _ she said as Chanyeol’s eyes found the teacher’s back. He was waving goodbye to the little girl who Yuri had been playing with. 

He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away. “Yeah, uh, listen. Are you finishing up over at the firm? I should get going, but if you’re not done yet, then I’ll bring Yuri back to my place for now, ok?”

_ “Oh, no that’s fine! I’m just about finished here. Just need to drop off some files before I leave. You can drive over to my place, and I’ll meet you there in like, 15 minutes?” _

“Alright, that works. See you soon, noona.” He said, hanging up. He sighed as he pocketed his phone. 15 minutes,  _ yeah right. _ The drive to Yoora’s apartment wouldn’t take nearly that long for him, and Yoora wasn’t exactly known to be punctual. He could probably expect a five minute delay, at  _ least _ .

He shook his head lightly as he walked back in, planning on getting Yuri ready to go either way. He could drive slowly. He paused as he saw that Yuri was now building blocks with Baekhyun, though. 

Baekhyun still looked tired, but he seemed to be genuinely amused as he tried to steal all of Yuri’s yellow blocks. She screamed at him as she realized what was going on, scolding him whilst Baekhyun did his best to act properly chastised. Chanyeol couldn’t help the smile that spread on his face as Baekhyun tried to reach for more of the blocks with a mischievous look on his face, whistling and looking away whenever Yuri looked at him.

Chanyeol smirked as Baekhyun sneakily replaced all of the five year old’s yellow blocks with green ones. “Yuri, I think Baekhyun here is a naughty little thief.” he said, walking up to stand right next to them. He pointed at Yuri’s pile of blocks, and once she noticed what he’d done, she threw a fit.

Chanyeol was utterly shocked as Yuri’s happy demeanor turned sour, tears flooding down her cheeks as she wailed. He didn’t even react as Baekhyun laughed goodnaturedly at her, rising up on his knees and collecting her in his arms. Chanyeol could only watch as Baekhyun cooed at her, shushing her gently.

“I’m sorry, Yuri. You’re a little tired, right? Wanna go home and sleep, hm?” he said, petting her hair as she buried her face in his neck. Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol, shrugging at him with a crooked smile on his face. “I was just kidding when I stole your blocks, I won’t take them next time.” he said, cooing at her.

Yuri sniffled, still crying, but the wailing had stopped. Chanyeol sighed, kneeling down and reaching out to pat her back lightly. “Yuri-ah, we gotta go now.” he said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He did his best not to look into Baekhyun’s eyes, despite Baekhyun’s gaze feeling so utterly heavy on his face. “Mommy said she’ll meet us at home, and then you can take a little nap, ok?”

Yuri shuffled a little in Baekhyun’s lap, turning to look at him. Chanyeol softened as he looked at her tear stained cheeks, snot running down her nose. He pouted playfully at her, blinking quickly like he was gonna cry too. Yuri chuckled wetly at his exaggerated expression, and Chanyeol sighed, relieved. Yuri was almost never moody whenever he was around, and he wasn’t used to her crying.

Baekhyun tightened his grip on her as he stood up, jumping a little for effect. Yuri let out a little excited noise as she bounced, holding onto Baekhyun’s (now wet) shirt for dear life. Baekhyun laughed, walking towards the little sink area with her. Chanyeol followed, feeling strangely fond as he watched Baekhyun place her on the counter to wipe her face with a tissue.

He tried to figure out a good way to apologize, but Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind Yuri’s little tantrum. He was probably used to it. 

“Chanyeol,” he startled as Baekhyun spoke, not looking away from his task of wiping Yuri’s face. “I have a question for you.” Chanyeol felt like he was about to have a heart attack, but he tried to stay calm either way, nodding even though Baekhyun wasn’t looking at him.

“I was wondering if, maybe, I could have your number?” he asked, still not looking at him. Chanyeol thought he could see a little color rise in Baekhyun’s face, but he didn’t know if that was just wishful thinking, because his own was probably bright red.

At Chanyeol’s lack of response, Baekhyun continued, definitely wiping at Yuri’s face for far too long. “I just thought it would be nice. I guess. You don’t have to, you can say no. But I-”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol said, cutting Baekhyun off. “But only if you give me yours too.” he said, somehow regaining the ability to speak. It was a little unnerving to see Baekhyun so unsure, and a little exciting too.

Now Baekhyun was definitely blushing. “Cool.” he said, glancing up at him for a split second, then leaning to throw the tissue away. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun helped Yuri down, patting her head before telling her to go find her jacket.

Baekhyun’s shoulders went up and down slowly as he took a deep breath, and Chanyeol was completely entranced with the shy way Baekhyun was acting. He startled as Baekhyun shoved his phone in his hands, urging him to type in his contact info. Baekhyun turned away as soon as Chanyeol took his phone, pretending to wipe uselessly at the counter, fiddling with anything that wasn’t in Chanyeol’s near vicinity.

“Baekhyun.” he said, making him turn towards him. Chanyeol walked up and gave him his phone back, not stopping until they were barely one foot apart. Chanyeol’s eyes drifted from Baekhyun’s wide eyes to his lips. 

And then he stayed there, frozen. His moment of confidence had passed, not letting him move forward. He felt his face heat up, eyes flickering over Baekhyun’s face. He wanted to kiss him so bad, but he couldn’t get himself to actually lean forward. He could barely get himself to breathe.

Luckily he didn’t have to, because Baekhyun leaned forward, tilting his head slightly before pressing their lips together. Chanyeol could feel Baekhyun’s hands hovering with uncertainty above his shoulders as he moved his lips against his, and Chanyeol placed his own hands on Baekhyun’s waist before he could overthink it. He almost groaned into the kiss as Baekhyun’s hands finally landed on his upper arms,  _ squeezing _ . 

He tightened his own hold on Baekhyun’s waist, taking half a step closer and relishing in the small sigh Baekhyun let out. Baekhyun’s lips were soft, slowly moving against his, and his waist was so  _ small _ where Chanyeol gripped it. Chanyeol pushed forward a little, making Baekhyun tilt his head up in order to keep their lips locked. He sighed through his nose, placing open mouthed kisses against Baekhyun’s lips before drawing back, squeezing at Baekhyun’s waist.

And  _ God _ , if Baekhyun’s flushed, embarrassed face was good, the face he made after being kissed was even better. Heavy eyes, spit slick lips, slightly furrowed brows. Before Chanyeol could ponder any further on Baekhyun’s frankly erotic looks, he backed away, heaving a sigh. 

“Call me, Baekhyun.” he said, licking his lips. They tasted of him. “Soon.”

For once, Chanyeol and Yoora arrived at the exact same time, and Yuri latched onto her mom like an octopus, waving at Chanyeol as they parted ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeehaw? they kissed!!   
> hope y'all enjoyed this chapter <33 thanks for reading TT<3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a little longer than usual, because i have no self control!! enjoy<3333

Chanyeol very quickly realized his mistake in not making Baekhyun put his number in  _ his _ phone as well. Not that Chanyeol could be very certain that he would have dared to contact Baekhyun even if he  _ did _ have his number, but it would be nice to at least have the option. Especially since Baekhyun hadn’t so much as sent him a text since their last exchange, and it had been almost a full week.

Chanyeol tried not to be a little hurt and sulky as he made his breakfast, but he was very much failing at it. Chanyeol had been hoping to hear from Baekhyun earlier in the week, and maybe, just maybe, plan a date for the weekend, but as of saturday morning, he still hadn’t heard anything from the other.

He was starting to regret their kiss. 

Or well, that’s a lie. It had been the best fucking kiss of Chanyeol’s whole life, and he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world, but ever since then, Baekhyun hadn’t contacted him, despite now having the means to do so.

Maybe Baekhyun didn’t actually feel the same? But that wouldn’t make any sense,  _ he _ was the one to ask for Chanyeol’s number, not the other way around, and he  _ kissed him back _ . It made no sense that Baekhyun didn’t at least feel somewhat attracted to him.

Unless he’d changed his mind.

Chanyeol chose to spare himself from going down that rabbit hole. He couldn’t really do anything about it, even if that  _ was  _ the case. He went to flip his omelette and realized with a start that it was already burnt.  _ Great. There goes breakfast. _

Chanyeol sighed, turning the stove off as he sulked. He checked his phone again. Still nothing, not that he’d been expecting anything. During these past few days, he would probably have been able to hear the notification go off from space.

He would have to go grocery shopping. There was nearly nothing edible in his fridge at all apart from some chinese take out, and he really didn’t feel like starting his day of with leftovers. He grabbed his keys and wallet, and he kept sulking all the way to the grocery store.

_______

He stopped sulking when he spotted the very man he’d been pining over for the last few days. He had turned a corner, half full basket in hand, when he spotted Baekhyun himself, staring blankly at a milk carton. 

The end of his sulking made way for hurt, though. Logically speaking, Baekhyun was under no obligation to contact him, and he might have a completely reasonable excuse for not doing so.

Nevertheless, Chanyeol and his needy ass felt a bit wronged, and he considered confronting him, just to see how he’d react. But Chanyeol was too soft for that, so instead he considered hiding, not wanting to make things weird between them.

He was brought out of his head when he realized that Baekhyun was  _ still _ staring at the milk carton in his hand. He didn’t even seem to be deep in thought, he just stared at it, completely blank.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but worry a little, despite still being hurt. Something seemed a little off, and before he knew it, he was walking up to him, a little apprehensive.

“Baekhyun?” he prompted once he was close enough, causing Baekhyun to startle so badly that he almost dropped the milk. He turned to meet Chanyeol’s gaze with wide eyes.

“Chanyeol?” he breathed, clutching the milk packet to his chest. “Jesus, I didn’t see you.” he said, not loosening his grip.

Chanyeol just stared. Baekhyun looked… rough, to say the least. His hair wasn’t just wild, it was greasy, and his clothes were mismatched and stained. Baekhyun was always tired, but he never _looked_ _it_. Chanyeol could pretty much _feel_ the fatigue rolling of off the younger man in waves.

He realized that Baekhyun must feel really uncomfortable with the way Chanyeol was staring at him, because he wasn’t just blushing, he wasn’t meeting his eyes either. Chanyeol didn’t get the chance to speak before Baekhyun started rambling.

“I know, I look rough, right?” he joked, still not meeting Chanyeol’s gaze. “I didn’t really plan on seeing you here, I would have dressed… Or showered. Sorry, I’ve just been a little sick, and I’ve been studying for the last few days, and that usually results in this glamorous look.” he said, gesturing to himself, only briefly meeting Chanyeol’s eyes as he tried for a smile that fell flat.

“I’ve been meaning to call you, but I kept putting it off since I had to meet so many deadlines, and every time I took a break I meant to at least text you, but I either got distracted by the next paper, or passed out.” he said, looking sheepish.

Chanyeol just stared, slowly realizing that Baekhyun’s  _ “I know what I’m doing” _ , was far from true. The guy was ready to collapse, right then and there.

“I’m more or less done with my current assignments now though, so by tomorrow I should be back to normal.” Baekhyun finished, gaze flickering between Chanyeol and the wall of cereal behind him. “I could text you, if you still want me to, that is.” he said quietly, staring down at his shoes. Chanyeol looked too. He was wearing slippers. 

“Of course I still want you to.” he said distractedly, dragging his eyes away from Baekhyun’s attire. “But I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little bit worried about you, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun groaned at that, adjusting his hoodie self consciously. “Don’t be. I’m really embarrassed that you had to see me like this, but I promise that it’s not usually this bad.” he said, finally meeting Chanyeol’s eyes.

Chanyeol furrowed his brows, confused. “You literally  _ just _ said that this happens regularly?”

He watched as Baekhyun shuffled in place, still clutching the milk carton. “It’s not  _ always _ this bad then.” he mumbled quietly. He sighed then, frustrated. “Look, I don’t need you to worry about me, I’m managing. I’m-”

“When was the last time you ate?” Chanyeol said, cutting Baekhyun off. He didn’t exactly mean to, but he was kind of glad he did, since Baekhyun was getting all defensive.

Baekhyun paused. “What?” he said, dropping the hand that was in the middle of moving animatedly as he rambled. Chanyeol sighed, he could feel himself going softer and softer. “Just answer me, Baek.”

Judging by the fact that Baekhyun even had to  _ think _ about it, he’d probably gone without food for way too long. Chanyeol’s heart ached to bring the boy back to his place and take care of him. Unfortunately for Chanyeol’s heart, Baekhyun was a grown man, and a stubborn one at that. Also, they didn’t exactly know each other that well. It would not only be weird to bring Baekhyun home, but it would also probably count as kidnapping. 

“Are you buying anything else?” Chanyeol asked, pointing at the milk carton still clutched in Baekhyun’s hand. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at him, blinking.

“Not really, just thought I’d get some ramen…” he answered, still looking a bit confused.

Chanyeol tried very hard not to frown, despite feeling less than satisfied with Baekhyun’s groceries. “You sure? You should probably get some real food to cook.” he said carefully, not wanting to offend him. 

Baekhyun smiled a wry grin at that, looking halfway amused and halfway annoyed. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’ll buy some veggies if that’ll make you feel better,  _ dad. _ ”

Chanyeol chose not to react to the jibe, sighing. “It would make me feel better actually.” he said, placing a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder to steer him towards the vegetable section. 

_____

One bell pepper, some broccoli and a bag of spinach later, Baekhyun concluded himself finished. Chanyeol had convinced him to put his groceries in Chanyeol’s basket, as Baekhyun didn’t carry one. Baekhyun had agreed under the condition that he  _ wouldn’t _ try to sneakily pay for them.

Chanyeol pouted internally, at least he’d gotten the younger to buy some veggies. Hopefully he’d eat them.

Chanyeol  _ had _ actually been sorely tempted to pay for Baekhyun’s short list of groceries, but he knew that if he even tried, Baekhyun would probably kill him, so he let Baekhyun pay for his own stuff before they walked out of the store, side by side.

As soon as Baekhyun opened his mouth, probably about to tell him that he was going in the other direction, Chanyeol grabbed his hand. (not without flushing)

“I’m driving you.” he stated simply, walking up to his car, dragging a bewildered Baekhyun by the hand. 

As he opened the backseat to load his groceries in, he glanced up at Baekhyun, watching him stutter out some meaningless syllables. He straightened up to stare at Baekhyun square in the face, pleading expression on.

“Come on, let me drive you? Please?” he asked, softly stroking a thumb across Baekhyun’s hand before dropping it. He watched Baekhyun struggle a little before ultimately slumping his shoulders with a pout, murmuring a thanks as he walked over to the passenger side.

Chanyeol was absolutely filled with glee, but he bit down on his lip to contain it. He really shouldn’t be so happy about giving Baekhyun a lift home.

“Where to?” he asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. He glanced over at Baekhyun as he told him the address distractedly, tapping away at his phone.

Both of them startled as Chanyeol’s phone pinged loudly. Baekhyun huffed out a startled laugh. “Wow. You really have your notification sound on  _ that _ high?” he laughed, staring at Chanyeol like he was an alien. 

Chanyeol flushed. “Not usually, it’s just for now.” he said, not wanting to give away that Baekhyun was the singular reason for why he even had the sound turned on at all. Based on Baekhyun’s cheeky grin, he’d already figured it out.

“Well, it’s just a text from me, nothing to get excited about.” he teased, and Chanyeol could  _ feel _ Baekhyun’s smirk. Chanyeol flushed, scratching at his ear self consciously. He didn’t look away from the road.

“Great. Now I’ll harass you with phone calls every day.” he tried to joke, but the flush on his face made it fall flat, and Baekhyun laughed.

“Please do, I could use regular breaks.” he said, leaning his head back against the headrest, still smiling. “Plus, I love your voice, so it’s a win win situation for me.” 

He said it so casually, but he should be thankful that Chanyeol didn’t swerve and crash the car at that. His mind was completely blank, and he was so warm that he almost broke a sweat, despite the AC.

As they pulled up to Baekhyun’s dorms, Chanyeol finally turned to look at him. Baekhyun looked rough, yeah, but he was still the most beautiful man Chanyeol had ever seen. There was some purple under his eyes, and his complexion looked a little too pale to be healthy, but Chanyeol still marveled at the effortless beauty radiating off of him.

“Cat got your tongue?” Baekhyun smirked, bringing Chanyeol out of his appreciation. “I  _ am _ sorry that you had to see me like this, Chanyeol. Usually the people I’m interested in only see me like this  _ after _ a couple of dates. It’s a little embarrassing, but hit me up if you still want to go out someday.” he said, fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie as he looked at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but lean forward to kiss him, hand softly gripping the back of Baekhyun’s neck. 

Baekhyun drew back slightly, taken by surprise. “Chanyeol! I’ve just been sick.” he protested, not doing much to stop Chanyeol from pressing their lips together again. He even leaned into the kiss after a while, shuffling subtly in his seat to turn more towards Chanyeol, laying a hand on his arm. 

Chanyeol placed a few open mouthed kisses against Baekhyun’s lips, feeling butterflies rise as Baekhyun’s lips parted as well, head tilting to catch Chanyeol’s bottom lip between his own.

He drew back before things got too steamy, stroking Baekhyun’s neck gently as he stared at Baekhyun’s spit slick lips. He sighed, leaning in to press one last kiss against him, huffing a laugh as Baekhyun chased his lips when he drew back.

“Are you free tomorrow?” he asked, thumb stroking at Baekhyun’s jaw. He felt him swallow, opening his mouth to speak but then deciding against it, nodding instead.

Chanyeol smiled at him. “Can I take you out?” he asked, feeling a little shy, but as he looked at Baekhyun’s flushed face, he felt a surge of something that felt like confidence. Baekhyun nodded again, smiling crookedly. 

“I’m a little surprised that you’d want to after seeing me like this, but I’d love to.” he said with a laugh.

Chanyeol’s heart felt just about ready to jump out of his chest as Baekhyun unbuckled his seat, leaned in to kiss his cheek, and told him to text him with a wink before leaving, small bag of groceries in his hand.

Chanyeol didn’t trust himself to drive until Baekhyun was completely out of sight.

_________

Chanyeol had felt incredibly nervous as he texted Baekhyun later that night. He would have called, but Baekhyun’s comment about “ _ loving his voice _ ” would most likely have prevented him from speaking out of pure embarrassment. So he resorted to texting, like he didn’t grow just as flustered at that, but at least he could squeal and pace his room as much as he wanted without Baekhyun knowing. 

Baekhyun didn’t keep him waiting for an answer, and they quickly decided on a time. Chanyeol was mildly panicked over what to wear, and he was majorly panicked over what they were even going to do. He still hadn’t figured out  _ anything _ that resembled a plan.

He didn’t know what Baekhyun liked. What if Chanyeol took him to a restaurant, and Baekhyun felt uncomfortable? Or what if Chanyeol took him to the movies, and Baekhyun thought it was boring? Did Baekhyun even like movies? Chanyeol didn’t know. He didn’t know any of Baekhyun’s interests, and he was growing increasingly nervous as he drove to pick him up.

He was straight up internally panicking as Baekhyun got in the car with a breathtaking smile. He didn’t even have the proper brain function to kiss him back when Baekhyun pressed his lips against his briefly. Baekhyun laughed at his panicked face before looking him up and down.

“You look good, Chanyeol.” he said, as if Baekhyun didn’t look like a fucking piece of art in his stylish yet casual look.  _ The difference 24 hours could make _ .

Chanyeol just barely stuttered out a thanks before Baekhyun placed a hand on his, looking at him with a endeared face. “Chanyeol, I think it’s really cute that you’re nervous, but I’m mildly concerned that you’re gonna have a heart attack.  _ Calm down.” _

Chanyeol flushed. He’d never been so embarrassed in his entire  _ life. _ He shook his head as he huffed out a tense laugh. “Sorry. Just nervous. You look…  _ really good _ .” he said, finally calming down enough to speak. He swallowed as Baekhyun’s smile widened. He looked like a fucking angel.

Baekhyun continued to grin at him as he rubbed his thumb over the back of Chanyeol’s hand. “Thanks.” he said simply, looking into Chanyeol’s eyes. “So, where are we going?” he asked, making Chanyeol tense up again.

“I don’t know.” he admitted, eyes wide. “I didn’t know what you like to do, and I didn’t want to force you into something you didn’t like, so I kind of don’t have a plan.” he said, jittering his leg.

Baekhyun placed a hand on his knee and leaned in to kiss him again. Murmuring another “ _ calm down” _ at him. Thankfully Chanyeol actually kissed him back this time, almost groaning at the feeling of Baekhyun’s lips against his. He let out an actual groan when Baekhyun licked his lips before drawing back, staring at him in shock.

Baekhyun just smirked. “How do you feel about street food?”

_________

They spent the entire afternoon just walking, trying all kinds of different foods from different street vendors. Baekhyun stole kisses the entire time, leaving Chanyeol flustered. He pretended to kick him after the seventh kiss, and Baekhyun just laughed, skipping out of the way.

And then it started to rain. It was just a drizzle at first, and they only barely even noticed, too invested in their argument of what kind of ice cream was the best kind.

But then it picked up, quickly.

They stared at each other in shock as they went from dry to soaked in the matter of seconds. Baekhyun let out a incredulos laugh as they stared, making Chanyeol finally spring into action. 

Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s hand, bringing his arm up to shield his head as he dragged a laughing Baekhyun towards the relative safety of the entrance of a building. At least they’d be out of the rain.

He quickly realized that despite not currently being rained on, they were still next to completely soaked, and despite the warm spring weather, Chanyeol was growing cold, and Baekhyun was probably no better, despite him still smiling gleefully.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Chanyeol sighed, pouting out at the rain. “What do we do now?” he asked, turning back towards Baekhyun as he wiped at his face with the equally wet sleeve.

Baekhyun didn’t seem undeterred at all. He just chuckled at Chanyeol’s pout. “I can think of a few things.” he said flirtily, looking up at Chanyeol through his lashes. 

The comment startled a laugh out of Chanyeol. “We’re in public, Baekhyun.” he said, pointedly directing his stare towards the other people running for their lives. As he looked back at Baekhyun, he took in the way his hair was plastered to his face. Somehow, the wet look on Baekhyun was really hot.

Chanyeol cleared his throat as he turned away. “Besides, we should probably get out of here. It doesn’t seem like the rain will let up anytime soon, and unless you wanna get sick again we should probably get you out of those clothes.”

Baekhyun winked at him. “ _ We _ should get me out of them, huh? I like the sound of that.” he drawled, walking up closer to Chanyeol to press up against him. Obviously Baekhyun didn’t care about them being in public as much as Chanyeol did.

Chanyeol grabbed at Baekhyun’s upper arms, trying to keep him from getting any closer. The wet fabric already didn’t feel very good against his skin, he’d rather not have it pressed up against him. “I’m serious, we’re gonna have to make a run for the car.” he said, ignoring Baekhyun’s pout. Baekhyun looked shocked. “Are you kidding me? Your car is like 5 minutes away!” he exclaimed, staring at Chanyeol with wide eyes. “You can’t expect me to run that far.”

Chanyeol didn’t answer. He just grabbed Baekhyun’s hand again and pulled him out into the rain, running back up the street with a bewildered Baekhyun dragging behind him. 

_________

“Well, that was fun.” Chanyeol said as they stepped into his apartment, both of them dripping, soaked from head to toe. 

Chanyeol hadn’t exactly planned to bring Baekhyun back after their date, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right? As he went in to retrieve a few towels, he was suddenly very thankful to himself for cleaning the night before out of panic.

Baekhyun hadn’t taken a single step into the apartment when he returned, looking around with barely concealed interest as he stood rooted in one place. There was a puddle forming around his feet, much to Chanyeol’s amusement. 

“You could have at least taken off your shoes, you know.” he said, holding out one of the towels for the other as he roughly dried his own hair. Baekhyun took it, toeing out of his shoes a little sheepishly. 

“There’s an entire ocean in these I think.” he said as he buried his entire head in the towel. Chanyeol laughed as he looked down at Baekhyun’s shoes. They were indeed filled with quite a bit of water.

“You’re really bad at dodging huge puddles.” he teased, taking in the way Baekhyun wiggled his toes with a wince. He was probably really uncomfortable with the way his clothes were plastered to him.

Chanyeol couldn’t help the fondness spreading through his chest as Baekhyun flipped him off jokingly. “It was your fault! You were the one steering.”

“Go take a shower, Baek. You’ll feel better.” he laughed, steering him into the bathroom. He tried very hard not to think about the warmth of Baekhyun’s skin through his soaked shirt. “I’ll get you some clothes, hang on.” he said, quickly exiting the room.

He tried to cool off as he searched his wardrobe for something Baekhyun could wear, thinking about the task at hand rather than Baekhyun’s firm back. He was met with a small problem though. Trying to find something for Baekhyun to wear meant  _ envisioning _ Baekhyun in his clothes, and envisioning Baekhyun in his clothes caused Chanyeol to feel a little hot under the collar.

Chanyeol pinched himself and grabbed a simple pair of sweats and t-shirt. He can’t go around thinking about things like that. What if he got turned on? And Baekhyun noticed? He shook his head, making his way back to Baekhyun, absolutely  _ not _ thinking at all.

Baekhyun stood shirtless, fiddling with the button on his pants as Chanyeol stuttered to a halt. Instantly, Chanyeol flushed hot, brain working in overdrive to commit the sight of Baekhyun’s smooth skin to his memory. He tried to say something, but Baekhyun caught his eyes in the mirror before he could.

“Oh, sorry.” he said, pausing in his actions of trying to take his fucking pants off. “Wet clothes are really uncomfortable.” he finished, tilting his head with a charming smile. He must be pretending not to notice Chanyeol’s eyes literally drink in the sight of his exposed skin, because he didn’t comment on it.

Chanyeol snapped out of his daze, flushing with the knowledge that he’d been silent for way to long. “I’m… It’s fine.” he said, walking past him to place the clothes on the counter, avoiding Baekhyun’s form. “I’m gonna leave these here. Feel free to use whatever you want.” he said hastily making his exit.

“You sure you don’t wanna join me?” Baekhyun asked, still fiddling with his damned pants as he stared up at Chanyeol with a smirk. “I’m sure we’ll warm up faster that way.”

“Sthdjk.” was all Chanyeol got out before turning on his heel, closing the door quickly as he heard Baekhyun laugh.

___________

Baekhyun didn’t take very long in the shower. He washed his hair and body with Chanyeol’s products, feeling weirdly good about it. Usually Baekhyun was picky with scents, and he didn’t like using other people’s products since they smelt so unfamiliar. This time though, Baekhyun actually felt a little giddy at the thought of smelling like Chanyeol. The thought remained as he dried off, putting the man’s clothes on.

He huffed softly as he stared at his outfit in the mirror. Did Chanyeol not know that gray sweatpants were a clear invitation to sex? Or maybe he  _ did _ know, and gave them to Baekhyun anyway, which was a dangerous train of thought to go down without underwear on.

Baekhyun ruffled his hair a little with the towel as he stared at his own reflection. Chanyeol didn’t seem to have any moisturizers, much to Baekhyun’s dismay. He felt a little dry which was uncomfortable, but he felt  _ way _ better now that he was warm and clean. He sighed as he went to exit the bathroom. He’d just have to make do.

Chanyeol was on the phone with someone when Baekhyun walked into the living room, and Baekhyun relished in the way Chanyeol suddenly stuttered as he laid eyes on him. Smiling, Baekhyun took a seat on the couch, staring up at Chanyeol as he wrapped up the call.

Chanyeol avoided looking at him as he went to place his phone down on the table. “Sorry, work.” he said simply, and Baekhyun could see the flush on his neck. “I’m gonna go take a shower.” he said, walking towards the bathroom. He hesitated, casting a glance at Baekhyun. “Uh, make yourself at home.” he said with a pause before turning away, much to Baekhyun’s amusement. 

Baekhyun stared at the corner Chanyeol had just turned for a moment, thinking about what to do with himself. He wasn’t hungry, and Chanyeol probably wasn’t either considering their constant snacking throughout the evening. He also wasn’t a great cook, so he ruled out the option of cooking pretty quickly.

He got the bad idea to strip and lay himself on Chanyeol’s bed, but he quickly discarded it. No need to make the poor man more flustered than he already was. Besides, Baekhyun wasn’t really in the mood for sex either way. He wouldn’t say no if Chanyeol offered, but honestly, he was feeling a bit drowsy, and he briefly considered taking a nap. It felt like it would be a bit rude though, to be asleep when Chanyeol came back out.

Sighing, he unfurled himself from the curled up position he’d been in, standing up to explore a little. He wasn’t going to snoop, he didn’t want to invade Chanyeol’s privacy, but Baekhyun was curious, and it wouldn’t hurt to just look around a little, right?

He walked around the space, taking in the tidy state of the apartment as he walked room to room. He  _ did _ notice how clean the bathroom had been as he showered, and now he noticed that it seemed to extend to the rest of the apartment as well. The place itself wasn’t super spacious or richly decorated, but it fit Baekhyun’s image of Chanyeol perfectly. 

Relatively neat and tidy, muted, comfortable colors, and a surprising amount of toys and coloring books. Baekhyun smiled to himself, thinking about Yuri spending time at her uncle's place.

Baekhyun was good with children, his playful nature  _ thrived _ in their company, and he didn’t coddle them needlessly. He was good with children, but so was Chanyeol. Every time Baekhyun had seen Yuri interact with Chanyeol, she’d looked up at him like he was her very own sunshine, and Chanyeol seemed so comfortable with her. His heart warmed as he thought about it. So what, Baekhyun was a bit soft for a caring man, sue him.

As he walked up to a closed door, he hesitated. It must be Chanyeol’s bedroom. Was entering someone else’s bedroom considered rude? Chanyeol did tell him to make himself at home, and he had no intention to snoop, he was just curious.

He thought it over for a moment as he listened to the sound of the shower running. He’d just take a quick look, he wouldn’t touch anything. With that in mind, he opened the door. To his surprise, the room was already cast in a soft light, the source being a bedside lamp that was turned on. 

The closet stood open, and the bed wasn’t made. There were no clothes on the floor, but the inside of the closet looked to have been hit by a tornado. As he walked further in, he realized how much stronger this room smelled of Chanyeol. It made sense, since this was his bedroom, but it made Baekhyun stop in his tracks to take a deep breath.  _ God, why did he have to smell so good?  _

Normally Baekhyun didn’t really like someone else's scent overpowering his own, which was why Baekhyun rarely stayed over when he hooked up with people, and why he always washed his own sheets afterwards. But as he slowly lifted up one of Chanyeol’s shirts, (a little guiltily) he couldn’t help but feel a rush of satisfaction as he brought it up to his face and took a small whiff.

He quickly put it back though, feeling like a creep. He flushed, despite knowing that he wasn’t being watched.

He turned his head to stare out the window, the soft patter of the rain against the glass hypnotizing. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around himself as he walked over to it.  _ What was he doing. _ Chanyeol had been so incredibly kind and open, and Baekhyun was snooping around his room? He swallowed, feeling a little guilty. He probably shouldn’t have entered the bedroom to begin with. It might have been closed for a reason. Just because Chanyeol had told him to make himself at home it didn’t mean that he had a pass to do anything he wanted.

He heard the soft padding of feet suddenly, and he tensed, quickly turning around to find a bewildered Chanyeol.

Chanyeol was just in a towel, and no matter how much Baekhyun wanted to ignore the fact, he couldn’t. He forced himself to look him in the eyes though, trying to fight down the flush. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t snooping, I was just a little curious…” he said guiltily, biting his lip. Why did Chanyeol have to come in right before Baekhyun left the room? God, he must look like such a creep, standing mid smack in Chanyeol’s room.

Chanyeol just shook his head, tightening the grip on his towel as he looked at Baekhyun. “What? No that’s fine, I didn’t think you were snooping.” he said, looking confused. Baekhyun felt his shoulders drop in relief. 

His eyes drifted on their own accord to Chanyeol’s exposed chest. While Baekhyun had knowingly stripped before his shower in order to provoke, Chanyeol looked way too self conscious for the amount of nakedness to have been anything but a mistake. Baekhyun licked his lips, meeting Chanyeol’s panicked gaze.  _ Cute _ .

“Do you work out, Chanyeol-ssi?” he asked innocently, the gaze drifting across Chanyeol’s body anything but. He saw Chanyeol swallow at the formality, both of them having dropped honorifics a while back.

Baekhyun wasn’t expecting an answer, but he felt pleased nonetheless as Chanyeol nodded, hesitant. “A bit, whenever I can.” he stated, still not moving to gather any clothes, despite the goosebumps rising across his skin.

Baekhyun smirked, despite being flustered himself. He hummed, eyes lingering at the broadness of Chanyeol’s chest. “Hm, you look strong.” he murmured, locking eyes with Chanyeol as he walked up to him.  _ Curse his dumb defense mechanism _ .  _ Why did he always flirt when he was unsure? _

Chanyeol seemed to tense up as Baekhyun got closer, probably thinking about the fact that he was entirely naked apart from the towel wrapped around his hips. At least that’s what Baekhyun was thinking about.

“Bet you could toss me around however you want, huh.” he said softly, staring at Chanyeol’s mouth as he came to a stop right in front of him. He smiled at Chanyeol’s very obvious internal struggle. Teasing Chanyeol was always so much fun.

He didn’t want to get himself too worked up though, so he merely leaned in to place the softest kiss against the corner of Chanyeol’s mouth, letting his fingers drag across his collarbone and shoulder before he walked away with a wink. “I’ll wait out here while you get dressed, Chanyeol.” he said over his shoulder, closing the door behind him. 

As he walked up to the couch and took a seat again, his facade crumbled, leaving way for a deep flush and hands tugging at his hair as he silently mouthed  _ what the fuck. _

He silently slapped his own face, giving himself a silent pep talk.  _ It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s so fucking fine. You’re good, he didn’t see you smell his fucking shirt like a pervert, and you didn’t pop a boner from it. You’re doing great. _

He had to stop himself from biting the pillow next to him as he thrashed in embarrassment. He knew that he had to calm down and collect himself before Chanyeol came back out. Chanyeol didn’t need to know that Baekhyun was freaking out this hard.

Baekhyun took a few deep breaths, willing the flush on his neck to go down. He took his phone out and settled into a more casual stance, humming to himself, both to calm himself down and to make it seem like he was perfectly comfortable.

By the time Chanyeol emerged from the bedroom (dressed in a hoodie and basketball shorts), Baekhyun had regained control of himself, glancing up at Chanyeol with a smile.

He watched as Chanyeol reached for his phone before falling back on the couch with a small groan. “You know, I’m surprised you didn’t check my phone if you wanted to snoop.” he said absentmindedly, making Baekhyun freeze.

“I wasn’t snooping! I told you!” he exclaimed, feeling betrayed. Chanyeol just laughed, taking in Baekhyun’s wide, somewhat guilty eyes. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” he laughed, ducking out of the way as Baekhyun aimed a fake punch at him. He caught his fist, pulling him in close to restrain him,  _ accidently  _ resulting in a tight hug. “I don’t mind your snooping, it’s cute.” he said as he fell back, bringing Baekhyun with him.

“Wasn’t snooping.” Baekhyun mumbled from Chanyeol’s neck, seemingly having given in to being stuck there. He shimmied a bit to get comfortable, and soon he lay flat on top of Chanyeol, secretly relishing in the way Chanyeol carded his fingers through his hair.

Chanyeol just hummed, still amused. “Right.” he agreed, just to please the man. “I’m sure the security footage will show me that you  _ weren’t _ snooping.” he said, holding in a laugh as Baekhyun elbowed him softly.

“Shut up, you don’t have any security cameras here.” he sighed, burrowing his face in Chanyeol’s neck. He blinked a few times, suddenly a little unsure. “...do you?”

“No.” Chanyeol conceded. “I don’t.” Baekhyun closed his eyes, holding in a sigh of relief. He can’t imagine the embarrassment he’d feel if Chanyeol saw the way he sniffed his shirt and stared at his bed longingly. He did accidently groan as Chanyeol scratched at his scalp though, causing a full body shiver.

Chanyeol just chuckled. “Good?” he asked, causing Baekhyun to groan in agreement, to tired to use his words. “You’re like a puppy.” Chanyeol mused, and Baekhyun furrowed his brows, but he didn’t argue, just sighed, eyelashes fluttering at the feeling of Chanyeol’s fingers playing with his hair.

“How is your hair this soft despite being dyed?” Chanyeol mumbled, staring at the soft strands in mild wonder. Baekhyun mumbled against his neck, causing vibrations that tickled, but not much in a way of answer. “What?” Chanyeol laughed, making Baekhyun whine in annoyment.

“My hair is strong.” he said as he leaned back from Chanyeol’s neck temporarily, promptly burrowing his face again. Chanyeol hummed, amused, and Baekhyun felt the rumble through his chest, making him feel warm. If Baekhyun was a puppy, then Chanyeol was a fucking cat, purring like that.

Baekhyun felt himself drift off, and Chanyeol must have felt it too based on his breathing, because he suddenly gripped Baekhyun’s hair tightly, causing a sharp inhale. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it startled him. “Don’t fall asleep here.” Chanyeol said softly, and for a moment Baekhyun felt insecure, thinking that he might have overstayed his welcome.

“Come on, we should go to bed.” Chanyeol groaned as he sat them both up, which was quite the feat since Baekhyun did  _ not _ help. Chanyeol kissed him softly as Baekhyun swayed, and suddenly Baekhyun was a little more awake, kissing him back. Much to Baekhyun’s chagrin, Chanyeol drew back with an amused huff. 

“Do you have class tomorrow morning?” he asked, and Baekhyun groaned as he realized that he did, in fact, have an 8am to get to. 

He said as much, groaning as he rubbed at his face. He checked his phone for the time, sighing when he realized that he wasn’t just tired for no reason, it was actually late.

Chanyeol stood up, pulling Baekhyun up by his hand and dragging him towards the bathroom. “I’ll drive you. Come on, I’ll get you a toothbrush, and then we’ll sleep.” he said smiling, dragging the reluctant Baekhyun by his hand.

  
_ Shit _ . He thought as he stared at the sleepy, newly showered Baekhyun brushing his teeth.  _ He was in way to deep. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 5 aka the chapter where chanyeol drags baekhyun around by his hand the entire fucking time. i only realized after i wrote the whole thing how often it happens, but i've decided to make it one of chanyeol's quirks rather than change it because i'm lazy,, 
> 
> alright so the last chapter is gonna be out within the next few days!! i've already written the biggest scene, so it shouldn't be too hard ;)) hope you enjoyed this one though! i wanted to explore baekhyun's pov a little, let me know if you liked it or if you felt like it was a bit out of place!! thanks for reading loves, stay safe<3

**Author's Note:**

> yeah i have no patience. i wasn't gonna post this until it was completely done, but i'm a whore for validation, and the more i read it, the more i don't like it. wouldn't be the first time i've almost finished something and then didn't post it due to over editing lmao
> 
> anyways!! i'll actually finish this one, because i really like writing it, and i already have another 2-3 chapters done, so it shouldn't be a problem. hope you guys like flirty Baek, because there's gonna be a whole lot of that
> 
> peace out and thank you for reading<33


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